Tag: Jesus Taught Authoritativiely - Mark 1-2

Mark 1:21-22

And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

Tag:  Jesus is Authoritative

When John the Baptist came unto the scene, earlier in Mark, he is stated as looking different and sounding different and carrying a unique message; something different than the religious teachers of the day:

Mark 1:6-8

Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

John was the not concerned about “fitting in.”   When Jesus begins to speak, the people could readily perceive a sense of “authority” about Jesus’ teaching.   Jesus spoke as though he had “authority.”   In the next few verses Jesus authority is demonstrated as he casts a demon out of a man and the demons recognize and submit the authority of the Creator of the Universe.   Yet, the people were not saying Jesus had authority based upon that act (although that act would confirm their perceptions).   The people were contrasting Jesus to the Scribes and Pharisees.   Legalism NEVER can have the authority that divine truth can provide.   Speaking of God’s grace, mercy and judgment will always trump rules and laws.  The Pharisees are later said to have put burdens on the people via their teaching and ruling:

Matthew 23:2-4

“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.

True teaching should sound and be authoritative when it is based upon the character and teaching of Christ.   It ought not to sound cumbersome.   We can rely on the subjective ears of the sinner to determine truth, but we should know that when truth speaks, people should notice a difference.